Obama says his birthplace is 'in Asia'

In a recent speech President Obama has described his birthplace as being "in Asia": but even the maddest "birther" – the term for people convinced that Mr Obama was not born in the USA and thus is not eligible to be President – probably can't draw much comfort from the error.

In a recent press conference given in Hawaii (the US state where Mr Obama was born), the president said "here in Asia", a statement which – had he been correct – would have disqualified him from office. Of course it was a mistake, made more understandable by the fact that he was there to attend an Asia-Pacific summit.